Autumn rain and an elm tree
by cerasi1
Summary: It was Autumn and it was raining and it was cold and Remus was very, very angry. Sirius wants to know why, and in finding out, discovers a great many other things he may or may not have known about his friend, and about himself. Light hearted drabble. RS


It was Autumn and it was raining and it was cold. If it had been any closer to Winter it might well have been snow, it was so very cold. But instead it was just very cold and raining and Autumn, and Remus was so very angry he barely noticed it. He just sat under a big elm, and occasionally was thwacked by a big drop of rain that had been comprised of small drops of rain as they came through the tree, pelting leaf after leaf until they finally reached the angry Remus. Damn them.

Had Remus turned around he may well have seen a very soggy Sirius darting from tree to tree towards him. That is to say, had Remus turned around and moved a foot to the right and peered around the tree and squinted through the very heavy and cold rain, he may have caught a glimpse, but the situation being what it was, that was not so likely. Instead, Sirius was allowed to dash in peace, for the time being, and for the time being Remus was allowed to fume in peace.

Then the time being changed, or went away, or whatever and Sirius spotted two legs sticking out from the tree at such an angle as suggested there was a Remus sitting beside said tree. As it turned out, this was the rather large elm under which Remus was, indeed, sat. So Sirius found him.

"Moony." He said quietly.

"No, Merlin here. And as Merlin, returned from that godforsaken grave of mine, I command you to go away and leave me alone." Said Remus.

"Moony, this is ridiculous." Sirius said, ignoring the instructions given by 'Merlin' and sitting down beside this rather Remus-like 'Merlin' and giving his leg a nudge. "You've been out here for hours, and its cold… and it's bloody raining!"

"I've noticed."

"So are you coming back in?" Sirius asked.

"No."

"Why not?"

"I've already told you: I can't tell you."

"I see. So you're definitely not coming back in, then?"

"No."

"Right, I'll just go back in the castle where it's nice and warm and there are warm drinks and warm showers and warm clothing and warm food." Sirius stood up.

"Righto. Have fun." Remus sat still, looking out into the rain with his arms now firmly folded.

"Alright. Off I go." Sirius took a large and exaggerated step. "Look, I'm going!"

"Marvellous. Congratu-bloody-lations." Remus glared at the rain.

"Sure is a pity you won't come." Sirius said, taking another ridiculously proportioned and slow step. Remus just ground his teeth together. "So, I suppose I'll see you later." And Sirius began to properly walk away.

This time, had Remus been less angry, and possessed of an inclination to turn around, he may well have spotted a rather soggy Sirius looking between the pouring rain and the fuming Remus, presumably choosing the lesser of two evils.

"Bastardly weevils." He muttered, and turned back. "Remus, this is just stupid."

"I'm quite happy, I'm still dry. You, on the other hand, look like you're going to catch a chill if you don't go inside. So who's stupid?" Remus said.

"Very well, then. My health rests in your hands." Sirius said, plonking himself down again right by Remus' left foot.

"What?" Remus said, looking at his friend.

"I said my health rests in your hands. It's your call on the chill factor." Sirius said.

"Don't be stupid." Remus frowned.

"But I already am, according to you. So there's no real threat of that. Just a matter of health, now." Sirius said in a blasé manner, looking absently at the rain.

"Sirius, don't do this, please." Remus said, significantly more pathetic than his previously angrier mood.

"And why on earth not?" Sirius growled. "You're going to sit out here and be stupid all afternoon. Then I will too. And just you try and stop me."

"What do I have to do to get you to go back inside?" Remus asked, praying for more than one option in this.

"Either tell me what's wrong, or come back in side with me." Sirius said. Bad options, thought Remus. Damn his prayers.

"Any other way?" He asked.

"No."

"Fine."

"Which one?" Sirius asked

Remus sighed, and watched the foggy breath dissipate in the air. Sirius watched it, too. Remus pulled his scarf tighter around his neck, then reached over and did the same for Sirius, knowing full well that Sirius would never do it himself.

"Please tell me what's wrong, Moony." Sirius asked, a pleading expression all over his lovely face.

"Damn your puppy-dog eyes." Remus muttered.

"Hehe, I can do better than that." Sirius grinned, and promptly turned into a large black shaggy dog, knocking Remus to the ground and thoroughly licking the left side of his face.

"Argh!" Remus yelled, laughing. "Stop it! Off! Off, you mangy cur!"

"So you're going to tell me?" Sirius asked, shifting his now-human body around to sit beside Remus, and he leaned closer in a conspiratorial manner.

"Yes. I suppose I am." Remus frowned.

"Oh, finally!" Sirius whooped. "I've been waiting all day to hear this. It happened last night, didn't it."

"How did you know?"

"You came in late last night. I heard."

"You were waiting up for me?"

"Not that I was worried for my precious Remey, but yes. Yes I was."

"How sweet." Remus rolled his eyes.

Sirius yawned and pulled his knees up about his chest. It truly was bloody cold out here. Remus reached out an arm unconsciously and wrapped his friend's shoulders up.

"Was it girl troubles?" Sirius asked, apparently not noticing his friend's arm, or the slightly non-Platonic way in which it gripped his shoulder.

"Not precisely." Remus laughed humourlessly. "But in a manner of speaking…"

"Boy troubles, then?" Sirius asked. Truly, it was what he had been angling for in the first place, and now he had it. He turned to see Remus staring wide-eyed at him. "Oh, Moony. You didn't think that I, the cleverest of all, could possibly miss that, did you?" He laughed theatrically. "Dear Remus, you have underestimated me."

"Apparently so." Remus said quietly, looking back at the rain, and pulling his arm back away.

"Remus, I've known for months. If it was going to bother me, I would have complained about your hugs much sooner." Sirius smiled. Remus swallowed and, somewhat guiltily, put his arm back across his friend's shoulder. "So," Sirius said, "Boy troubles then."

"Yes. Boy troubles."

"Who?" Sirius asked, secretly angry at whomever it was who made his Moony so angry all of a sudden. Honestly, angry Moony was not natural. Even when he was mad at Sirius and James for some of their, ahem, less savoury pranks, he was never really angry. Well, not… that is to say… whatever. No one was to make Remus that angry except Sirius or James. Or maybe Peter. No one else!

"Eadoin Cummings." Remus growled.

"Cummings!" Sirius shouted, rather appallingly close to Remus' ear, in Remus' opinion. "What did he do? I'll kill him!"

"Don't kill him." Remus sighed. "That would create troubles that even you couldn't get out of."

"Me? Not get out of? Problems?" Sirius stared, shocked, at Remus. "My dear Moony. I think you forget whom you are speaking to! There is not a problem in the world that I, Sirius Black, could not get out of. Why, I could escape from Azkaban if it came to that!"

"I don't doubt it, but still, this is not your problem to get out of, it's mine." Remus said.

"Verily." Said Sirius. "But you are my Moony, and all Padfoots are expected to help their Moonys when it comes to that."

Remus smiled and when he felt his hug returned he smiled all the more.

"Moony." Sirius said warningly. "You haven't told me what he did."

"It's not even that bad." Remus mumbled.

"What did he do?" Sirius asked.

"He kissed someone else." Remus mumbled some more.

"A boy?"

"A girl."

"That bastard!"

"And then had the audacity to blame it on me." Remus was fuming again. Sirius warily rubbed the back of his neck to calm him.

"How could it be your fault?"

"Oh, it wasn't that important."

"You seem incredibly angry about it." Sirius reasoned.

"He…" Remus paused.

"Go on." Sirius encouraged.

"He told me I was frigid." Remus muttered.

"And are you?"

"Sirius!"

"Well?"

"No."

"Then why are you so angry?" Sirius asked.

"Because." He growled audibly and Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Because he has valid reason to believe that I am." He said.

"Why?"

"Because as far as our relationship went, it would seem that I was." Remus admitted.

"Ah. I see." Sirius nodded, guessing one possible reason for this explanation. Bugger it, better out than in. "You love someone else."

"Shit." Remus bit off.

"I should hope not. I think there's a name for people who love shit. But seriously, who is… he?" Sirius asked.

"You." Remus said.

And then there was silence. It wasn't exactly awkward. OK, yes, it was awkward, but for important reasons. The silence went on for a bit. Then it went on for a bit longer. In fact, in some deranged way, it could be said that Remus and Sirius were allowing the silence to have its monologue. And on it went. A rather good monologue, as far as silence goes. It certainly held the audience rather well.

Then it stopped. The silence didn't even get to bow because Sirius, rather rudely in the silence's opinion, interrupted the monologue and cleared his throat.

"Well." He said. "I suppose that's a good thing."

"What?" Asked Remus disbelievingly, he snatched his arm away and turned to face Sirius. "How on earth is that bloody good? You've known that I like what I like for a few months, bit I've known that I love what I love for a few years. And during that time I have failed to hold even the semblance of a functional relationship. And then you asked and, fuck it, I told you. Because I promised myself that if you ever asked, I would tell you. Then you had to go and bloody ask. Damn."

"No, no. I see this as a very positive experience." Sirius raised his eyebrows and nodded. "Because, truth is truly wonderful, is it not?" And with that he leaned forward and kissed Remus. Firm, hard, closed, and with all the meaning in the world.

"Positive experience?" Remus breathed afterwards.

"Oh, yes." Sirius nodded. "Now, will you come inside? I think I'm developing a cold."

Remus just looked at him.

"Alright, let me put it this way." Sirius leaned forward a little and looked dead-set into Remus' eyes. "Prongs has buggered off for Quidditch 'theory' lessons with the team, Peter is in Hogsmeade all day, and the dorm is warm with warm showers and warm beds." He raised his left eyebrow, and waited.

"I see." Remus nodded. "Well, then." He smiled. "Lets go." They grinned.

It was Autumn and it was raining and it was cold. But inside, it was warm and the rain couldn't get them. It was still Autumn, of course, but we take the cons with the pros, don't we?


End file.
